1813 Club and Premier Members
West Midlands mayor opens state-of-the-art testing facility
Round-up
Unique Venues Birmingham (UVB) has linked up with video firm Pistachio View to boost its appeal to event organisers. UVB is a commercial venture
between The REP and The Library of Birmingham, and their link-up with Pistachio will allow them to send prospective clients videos of how their events might look. This partnership has been created with the client in mind, to allow UVB to offer them a bespoke quote for event enquiries. UVB says the videos are more
interesting than just plain old emails, and will also speed up the enquiry and venue booking process. Suzanna Reid Barreiro da Silva,
Testing moment: Andy Street (left) with Richard Jenkins and John Cross, general manager of Rubery Owen Materials Testing Division
West Midlands mayor Andy Street has officially opened a state-of- the art testing facility developed by Darlaston-based engineering firm Rubery Owen. The facility is in Brierley Hill, and
features the latest in high temperature, humidity and pressure testing capabilities, along with fatigue and thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) testing. It also houses the Merlin Powder
Characterisation test facility, in which the physical properties and compressibility of pharmaceutical drugs and other materials are determined by use of a hydraulic compaction simulator. Andy Street said: “This new
laboratory is so much about the revival of the Black Country and the West Midlands and I am extremely proud to be here to open the Rubery Owen Materials Testing Laboratory.
“If you go on any plane in the
world, there will be a part that has been made or tested in this area, in any car made in Britain there will be a part made in the West Midlands. Fifty per cent of automotive industry research and development happens within 25 miles of Birmingham city centre.
‘This region is right at the heart of the UK’s engineering revival’
“This region is right at the heart
of the UKs engineering revival. “We know that the most
innovative companies have the highest productivity, create the most jobs and have the best long-term prospects. What you are doing here, with the incredible research and testing, shows that you are right at the sweet-spot of our revival.”
Rubery Owen CEO Richard
Jenkins said: “This unique facility will help to keep the UK at the forefront of testing technology. We are excited to open our new testing centre and work with many great manufacturers and universities.” The new facility is also being
used by Rubery Owen subsidiary and materials testing specialist Phoenix, the sister company of Merlin Powder. Vicki Wilkes, commercial director
at Phoenix, said: “We have always worked in R&D sectors such as UK universities, nuclear, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and many more. “Within this building and the
Rotech laboratory at Wednesbury, we have an expert team, equipment and capabilities that can support a range of R&D demands and more standard off-the-shelf solutions for customers that is not available anywhere else in the world.”
Freeths sponsor women of the year
Law firm Freeths has sponsored a category at a ‘Women of the Year’ awards, which took place at Birmingham Hilton Metropole. More than 600 guests attended the event, which was won by Jennie
Johnson, the chief executive of Kids Allowed, which offers childcare in Manchester. Freeths sponsored the ‘Woman with Edge’ award, aimed at recognising
businesswomen who ‘challenge the status quo and understand the road to success is not always straight’. The award was won by Debbie Francis, managing director of Direct Rail
Services, a rail freight company based in Carlisle. Philippa Dempster, managing partner of Freeths London office, said:
“There is still a shortage of women in British boardrooms. “At Freeths we are keen to support women to achieve their goals. This is
why we have been sponsoring these awards for the last 10 years and have developed our own female network called NEW (Networking Events for Women). We think it very important to encourage our best businesswomen to come forward and be recognised, to inspire us all.”
Award winner Debbie Francis
commercial director at Unique Venues Birmingham, said: “Our Pistachio View videos have been well received by our clients and are a fantastic tool to showcase our spaces in full swing. “Using Pistachio View is a
fabulous way for them to imagine how their event will look.” Pistachio View founder Mia
Butler said: “Pistachio View is a simple online system that enables users to create personalised video emails which help increase business. “In addition, this innovative
tool supports developing relationships and show case venues in a way that can only be achieved with face-to-face, which isn’t always possible, as UVB understands.”
Accountant Smith Cooper’s annual charity golf day at Morley Hayes Golf Course has raised £2,500 for Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. The Air Ambulance is a charity
funded solely by public donations. Tanya Taylor, corporate development fundraiser at the organisation, said: “Fundraising like this is our lifeline. It is essential to helping us save lives every single day, and without it we simply wouldn’t be able to provide the lifeline that we do.” “Our aspiration is to become a
24-hour service, provided seven days a week, but this comes at a huge cost. To illustrate, it takes approximately £2,500 to fund just one potentially life-saving mission. We are overwhelmed by the amount raised.” Smith Cooper partner Dean
Nelson said: “Year upon year we are always astounded by the tremendous support that we receive from those who take part in our annual charity golf day.” The charity golf day saw
professionals from across the Midlands participate, including teams from Nelsons Solicitors, Barclays, Coates and Partners and others.
December 2019/January 2020 CHAMBERLINK 43
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